Coin chute guard means



Oct. 18, 1966 SElDEN 3,279,574

COIN CHUTE GUARD MEANS Filed April 5, 1965 S Sheets-Sheet l hm/L (3 6m Oct. 18, 1966 H. L. SEIDEN 3,279,574

' I COIN UHUTE GUARD MEANS I Filed April 5, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet P Oct. 18,1966 HIMSEIDEN 3,279,574

COIN CHU'I'E GUARD MEANS United States Patent Illinois Filed Apr. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 445,361 9 Claims. (Cl. 194-9) This invention has as its principal object the provision of improvements in anti-fraud attachments for cointesting chutes and more particularly to means for obstructing the so-called captive coin fraud in which a genuine coin is provided with a fine but strong tether of nylon thread or wire with the object of letting such genuine coin descend into the chute passages and pass the usual testing instrumentalities to be held by the tether in engagement with the principal control element such as a coin switch to effect repeated operations thereof by manipulation of the tether.

Numerous efforts have been made to defeat this class of fraud in its various forms, including such devices as cut-off knives located at critical points in the chute pas sages and a variety of snaring and trapping instrumen talities, some of which are successful for one type of tether but not another, or in one type of coin chute but not another; and still others of which can be avoided by jarring or tilting the apparatus once the principle of operation thereof becomes known. Cut-off snare knives may be effective in some equipment against threads, but often fail to cut even the finest of hard wires.

The present disclosures combine a form of movable snare and blocking mechanism with electromagnetic actuating and supervisory switch and circuit means especially contrived to operate at the zone of coin acceptance and the master coin-control switch, and are adapted for application to known types of coin chute or coin acceptors either as original equipment, or as an auxiliary attachment.

The foregoing and further objects and aspects of novelty and utility inherent in the disclosure will become more ice use with the circuits of either FIGURE 9 or 10, or alone.

The disclosed fraud preventive mechanism is not dependent upon any particular mode of operation or cointesting instrumentalities in the coin chute with which it may be used beyond the capability of delivering an acceptable comm an acceptance zone or exit and delivering an unacceptable coin to a reject exit; and accordingly only so much of the construction and functional characteristics of the illustrative coin chute 20, shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, will be described as may aid in understanding the utility of invention, it being observed here that a choice may be made from amongst a number of more or less standard commercially-available coin-testing units adapted to be removably seated in a supporting cradle 60 such as depicted in FIGURES 5 and 6, with which the present fraud preventive means apparent as the following description proceeds in view of the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a representative type of a standard coin chute bedded in its supporting cradle and employing a coin-controlled switch in conjunction with the novel fraud-preventive attachment;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism looking in the direction of lines 22 of FIGURE 1; I

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective detail of a lower, back wall portion of the main body of the chute structure removed from the cradle;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of part of the coin chute and the anti-fraud unit taken along lines 44 of FIGURE 1; I

FIGURE 5 is a front elevation of the chassis or mounting cradle in which the coin chute of FIGURE 1 is bedded with the anti-fraud unit attached thereto;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section taken along lines 6-6 of FIGURE 5 with parts shown in elevation;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan detail of the anti-fraud unit removed from the chute structure and carrying a modiis especially adapted to be operatively associated.

Thus, for purposes of the present description, it is sufficient to understand that a testing device such as the coin chute 20 will afford a vertical drop passage 21 for a coin leading from an entrance 29 at the upper region thereof generally downwardly in order that a coin may gravitate past various testing instrumentalities which will usually include means for testing the weight, size and metallic content of a coin which, if it be acceptable, will ultimately emerge from a lower acceptance exit 34, or if it be unacceptable, from an adjacent reject exit 35.

In the construction shown, one of the chute, passage walls is provided by the main wall 23 of the rectangular, channel-shaped body plate ofthe chute unit, the lower portions 23A of which is seen in FIGURE 3, from which showing other structural wall-forming members have been removed. Spaced from the wall 23 to define the upper part of the coin-testing passage is a scavenging gate 24 and a magnet carrier 25, both pivoted on a hinge pin 26 and urged into spaced parallel condition with the body Wall 23 by a spring 27 to define said upper passage, the aforesaid acceptance and reject exits 34 and 35 being defined by a lower member in the form of a barnacle wall plate structure 37, as in FIGURES 1 and 4.

It may be observed in passing that coin elements which may be'arrested in the upper chute passages 21 are commonly ejected sidewise therefrom as a result of swinging the scavenging gate plate 24 or the magnet carrier 25 on pivot 26 to open up the passage laterally.

A genuine or acceptable coin element will arrive at the chute acceptance exit 34 formed within the lower wall plate structure 37, and will fall between a slanted apron plate 40, FIGURES l, 2, 5 and 8, and a small guard plate 46 spaced therefrom (FIGURE 1) defining switch-actuating zone and guideway passage 47 (FIGURE 2) into which projects the offset end portion 48A of a long switch-actuating finger in the form of a stiff wire rod 48, Which in the embodiment of FIGURE 1 is aflixed to an inertia wheel 49 pivoted at 50, the coin rocking this finger downwardly in the arcuate slot 46A, turning the wheel and causing a pin 51 thereon to move a switch contact blade 52 into circuit-closing engagement with its companion blade 53 to close a control circuit for purposes to appear, the spring action of said blades restoring the wheel and wire finger to starting position, with said coin continuing downwardly past the final deflector portion 40C of the apron for passage to the usual c01- leeting receptacle (not shown). Other forms of coin switch, such as the micro-sensitive snap switch 54 shown as a substitute for switch 5253 in FIGURE 7, can also be used and actuated by a similar wire finger and may be especially desirable where multi-pole contacts may be needed for more complex control purposes.

The so-called captive coin fraud as commonly practiced employs a genuine coin usually pierced with a very small hole in its rim in which is secured a tether in the form of a strong thread or very fine and tough wire. Such a coin will successfully pass the testing instrumentalities and arrive at the acceptance exit and switch-operating zone where it may be held by the tether for manipulation in a way calculated to effect repeated operations of the coin switch to build up credits or effect repeated operations of whatever vending or other coin-controlled.

machine is involved.

The illustrative type of coin-testing device shown includes (FIGURE 3) one form of the knife type of thread-cutter and trap previously alluded to, the same comprising in this example a small blade angularly afiixed to the main chute wall 23 and having a V-shaped knife edge 55 mounted to lie in the main chute passage 21 in a way calculated either to cut a thread lodging in the V or to trap the thread in a space 56 behind the angle of the knife, it being understood however that such a cutter is to be considered wholly independent of the invention disclosed, and merely illustrates an additional safeguard against the captive coin operation which is frequently standard equipment in such coin chutes.

The coin-testing unit 20 will be provided, as in FIG- URES 1 to 3, with cradle-seating means in the form of a pair of pivot pins 5757 projecting from opposite lower side walls of the main body plate of the chute, together with a pair of upper latching pins 5858, sirna ilarly projecting from the top parts of these same side walls, the lower pins being pintles adapted to seat in armate cradling slots 59 (FIGURE 2) at the bottom side Walls of the cradle plate, as by fitting the pins in said slots and starting the coin unit in the dotted-line position shown in FIGURE 2, and pivoting the same upwardly into a vertical position until the upper latch pins 58 cam themselves into latch slots 61 in corresponding. springloaded latch arms 60, pivoted as at 62 on the sides of the cradle chassis, whereby the coin chute is automatically located and latched in operative position with its lower coin-acceptance exit 34 aligned with the apron 40 and the guideway means 46, 47 and the coin-switch actuating means 48, 48A.

While the disclosed fraud preventive means may be attached to, or constructed as a part of, the coin chute itself, if desired, it will be preferably formed as an independent structure for attachment either to a chute or a chute cradle in order that the chosen make of testing unit be utilized and quickly installed or removed for replacement or servicing.

Referring to FIGURES 2 and 4, the fraud preventive latter serving also to secure an electromagnet 90 on the inner face of the cradle plate, as in FIGURE 6.

The apron bracket has a further offset 42 on its side (FIGURES 4 and '7) which registers with a cut-out 64 formed in the lower left-hand corner (FIGURE 8) of a side of the cradle plate just behind one of the lower arcuate pintle-seating slots 59. A swinging prong-plate and gate (FIGURES 5, 6 and 7) is pivotally seated by tab and slot means 71 in the aforesaid side offset 42 of the apron bracket, said prong plate being of magneticallyattractable material to serve as an armature and being mounted so that the upper part thereof will swing a small amount in a plane roughly parallel to the plane of-the main coin chute passage at the exit zone 34.

As viewed in FIGURE 5, the pronged gate and armature plate has a long upper finger extension 72 projecting horizontally into position before a leaf-spring type of supervisory gate switch 91 preferably secured on the inside of the cradle wall, said gate finger having a switch-operating and coin-blocking lug 73 spot-welded to its end portions for engagement with one of the switch blades 91A, as shown in FIGURE 6. A spring 69 (FIGURES 6 and 7) urges the pronged gate plate into a normal passage- 1 tion of the armature prong plate or gate the coin acceptclosing and guarding coin-blocking position in which the lug 73 permits contacts of the supervisory gate switch to be self-closed against their own spring bias which otherwise tends to open these contacts.

At its lower margin, the combination armature and prong plate has another long finger extension 74 which projects downwardly below the bottom margins of the cradle and coin chute in alignment with a cut-out 43 formed in the apron bracket, this lower finger extension being bent so as to lie approximately parallel to the plane of the lower angled part of the apron bracket.

Along the margin of the plate 70 between the upper and lower fingers and including parts of the lower finger (FIGURES 4 and 5) is a series of offset coin-blocking prongs and snare teeth 75 of a length to project (with lug 73) through openings 33 or 84 in the main back wall 23 of the testing chute (FIGURE 3 also) into the coin exit zone thereof and through the cut-out 43 in the apron plate,

which cut-out lies in the coin-switch actuating zone, as

will now appear.

Fitted upon theapron plate opposite the cut-out 43.

therein is the previously-mentioned small passage-defining guard plate 46 in which is an arcuate slot 46A regis-I tering with the cut-out 43 and into which the offset end portion 48A of the switch operating finger will project for engagement by an accepted coin, this guard plate being spaced from the apron to define the short confining or switch-actuating passage 47 for the accepted coin after it leaves the exit 34 of the chute, there being offset coin deflecting lips 46B formed along the upper and lower margins of the guard plate.

Struck inwardly of the guard plate (FIGUREl) are a plurality of dimples 81 affording spaced bosses lying at points between the teeth or prongs 75 and slightly to one side thereof so thatthe ends of the prongs may approach the wall of the plate very closely but without necessarily touching the same, while the bosses project inwardly toward said teeth beyond the plane of the guard plate and the ends of the prongs in such manner that the presence of even a thin coin in this guideway will be positively and firmly sensed by engagement of the prongs therewith, and the resulting leverage on the prongs will tend positively to hold back the armature plate from its switchoperating displacement, the coin being thus also cocked by the bosses toward the prongs and not permitted to lie fiat against the wall of the guard plate.

In the normal, spring-urged passage-closing condition ofthe armature and gate plate,.the prongs 75will project into the coin-switch operating passage in the zone behind the guard plate 46 and also into the coin exit zone of the testing chute itself, the switch-operating lug structure 73 on the upper finger extension of the armature plate projecting into the lower part of the main coin chute passage as a lock-out for the coin chute itself to deflect any subsequently-deposited valid coin into the return or reject exit 35 as long as the gate is in closed or in coin-feeling or coin-blocking guard position.

Thus, in the aforesaid normal, spring-urged closed posiance exit of the chute and the coin-switch operating zone and passage, onthe auxiliary apron are blocked by the spaced prongs 75 and the lug 73 on the gate, in which condition no coin, acceptable or otherwise, can leave the main chute acceptance exit 34, it being necessary to withdraw the prongs by pivoting the gate for this purpose, this actionbeing effected by an electroniagnet (FIGURES 5,, 6 and 7) located between the combination armature and gate plate and the back wall of the cradle 60, this electromagnet being energized in a standby condition normally to keep the gate and chute passages open awaiting deposit of a coin.

Coin-operated vending, amusement and service machines will commonly involve either or bothof the conone denomination, or one coin of larger denomination;

will operate to store credit which may be necessary for one or several operations. Thus, a -cent coin might deliver one candy bar, or a 25-cent coin might store credit for several successive operations of an amusement machine; or a 25-cent coin plus a IO-cent coin might accumulate credit for delivery of a packet of cigarettes or the like. In the case of a single Operation for a single coin, the captive-coin fraud usually seeks to dangle the coin at the coin switch as often as possible to procure repeated deliveries of merchandise, the first such operation being legitimate in the sense that it is caused by a valid (although captive) coin element, while any ensuing repeat operations are procured by fraudulent manipulations of the same valid coin, V

In the case of multiple credits from one or more valid coins, however, there can be no legitimate operation of the machine which is not the result of a deposit of the required coins and amount, and the manipulation of a captive coin in such case usually involves repeated coinswitch operations to run up the equivalent credit. For example, a dime may run up 30 cents or 50 cents, but cannot normally achieve a 35-cent or 45-cent credit on a IO-cent coin switch alone, coin-testing chutes capable of accepting 5-, 10- and 25-cent coins usually delivering such denominations to separate acceptance exits and coin switches, so that manipulation of a single captive coin may be restricted to certain credit values or totals.

Thus, in the case of the deposit of a valid, though cap tive, coin in an amount sutficient to cycle a vending or other machine once, there is usually no loss if only one operation results, although such an operation frequently results in disabling the machine owing to the captive coin becoming jammed after the first or some subsequent attempted operation. But in the case of multiple credits for one or more coins, the loss may mount rapidly and the machine must be shut off as soon as the first fraudulent operating condition can be detected, and circuit means are provided for guarding such general types of operating condition in conjunction with the anti-fraud gate means.

The. circuit of FIGURE 9 is adapted to control any desired vending or amusement apparatus, particularly where multiple coins or credits may be involved, this arrangement including a cycling switch means interposed between the supervisory gate switch and some form of master vending relay or switch, such that each legitimate coin switch operation will initiate a cycle for the cycling switch means to control the operation of the coin-guard ing gate means and the vending operation. I

It will be assumed with reference to FIGURE 9 that a coil is deposited in theentrance 29 of the coin-testing chute and properly descends in the chute passage 21 to the acceptance exit 34, and moves in the switch operating zone in the guard passage 47 into engagement with the switch-operating finger 48A, the path to which is open since at this time the gate means is in open standby condition, being attracted by the now energized gate coil 90 so that the coin-engaging lug 73 and prongs 75 are fully withdrawn from the coin passages in the acceptance exit zone 34 of the coin chute and the coin switch guideway 47, with the result that the supervisory gate switch means 91 stands opened by lug 73 at this time. V

The acceptable coin element will strike the switch finger 48A and close coin switch contacts 52, 53 to initiate a vending cycle by completing a circuit from the common power conductor or drop side of the line, indicated as ground G, via conductor 95 the winding 96 of the cycle motor, to the power supply 97 which is indicated arbitrarily for convenience as a battery, so that the cycle motor starts, rotating shaft 98 and the cycle cam 99 which at once closes the motor cycle holding switch 100, thereby holding the motor operating circuit for one revolution of the cycle control cam means, which will reopen the switch 100 to stop the motor.

At the commencement of said control cycle the Gate Cam 102 will promptly'drop out the Gate Coil 90 by opening Gate Cam Switch 103 thereby interrupting the return circuit from common or ground through said switch, conductor 104, Gate Coil 90, and its power source 105, so that the Gate Coil is deenergized and the armature plate and prongs are spring-urged back into guarding position across the chute passages (dotted lines, FIGURE 9).

At this juncture, if there is no captive or other coin element held in the acceptance zone to obstruct the inward sensing and blocking movement of the prongs 75, the movement of the gate extension 72 and its lug 73 will be suflicient to permit closure of the Gate Supervisory Switch 91, there-by completing a circuit from the common ground via conductor 106 to the Vend Cam Switch 107 which is timed to close during the interval in which the Gate Cam Switch 103 is opened to drop out the Gate Coil and withdraw the prongs as aforesaid.

Thus, if the supervisory Gate Switch 91 is closed at the time the Gate Cam Switch 103 is closed in any cycle, the vend circuit through the Gate Supervisory Switch 91 will be completed via conductor 108 to energize the coil 109 of some form of Master or Vend Relay, closing contacts 110 thereof to actuate the desired controlled apparatus 111.

When the aforesaid vend cycle is completed by opening of the Motor Cycle Switch 100 to stop the cycle switch motor, the Gate Cam Switch 103 will be closed again to energize the Gate Coil 90 and withdraw the guarding prongs 75, and the Cam Vend Switch 107 will once again stand open in readiness for the next cycle.

In the event a captive coin is held in the acceptance zone so as to be engaged by any of the guarding prongs, the supervisory gate switch 91 will not close and no vendin-g circuit can be completed through the Cam Vend Switch #107 and this condition will persist even though the motor cycle switch may be repeatedly cycled by the position or some manipulation of the coin. Should a defrauding coin be held at a .point beyond the lowermost or last prong 7'5, but above the switch finger 48A, the confines of the guard plate 46 are dimensioned to trap coins of a given size or denomination therein so that attempts to retract such coin by a tether will cause the coin to jam upwardly against a prong 75 without surfficient clearance to cause another operation of the coin switch by permitting the coin to descend again, as by the coin-dangling or swinging manipulation which attempts to jiggle the captive coin to cause repeated switch operations, it being noted that the switch-operating finger portion 48A is so positionedthat a coin must pass the same on the way out in order to elfect closure of the coin switch at all, and once past the switch finger part 48A, any efiort to retract the coin for another switch operation will be defeated because the switch finger 48A will block retraction of the coin to a position where the switch actuating arm 48-48A can again operate the switch. The number and location and spacing of the prongs 75 is such that the tether of a captive coin will 'very probably become snared or twisted therein in a way making jiggling and pulling manipulation of the coin impossible or ineffectual.

The control circuit of FIGURE 10 may omit the cycling switch means in a more economical control system adapted for use with a single denomination of coin which will produce only a single vending or other operation, this circuit being of the voltage-drop type with disjoined component and switch elements wherein all switches shown are understood to move in clockwise direction either to close or open a circuit, the power being supplied via conductors 120, 121, usually a 50-volt A.C. source represented by the plug I122.

The electromagnet for withdrawing the armature and opening the gate 70 is designated as the Gate Coil 90A, and is normally energized in standby condition from power conductor a normally closed switch 123 on the Coin Relay 124, Gate Coil 90A to the drop side of the line sages and operate the coin switch closing contacts 52,.

53 in the manner previously described, thereby applying power from line 120,'conductor .127, normally closed Coin Relay Contacts 128 to energize the coin relay coil 124, which will result in opening said contacts 128 and transferring the operating circuit for the Gate Coil to a companioncontact 128A, since the original ope-rating circuit for the Gate Coil at Relay Switch 123 opens as soon as the coin relay pulls in.

If the coin which has caused the foregoing circuit op erations is held in the switch-operating zone near the acceptance exit, it will be engaged by the prongs 75 and the gate or armature plate will not be able to move to its 'fiully open or idle position under urgence of its normal spring, and in consequence, the lug 73 on the upper finger extension will not move sufficiently to permit the supervisory Gate Switch 91A to close, which condition is necessary, as in the first-described circuit, to procure an operation of the associated vending or other controlled device.

However, if the deposited coin is not captive or moves beyond the switch-actuating zone so that the gate can close to its normal passage-blocking condition, then the supervisory Gate Switch Contacts 91A will close and complete a circuit through a Coin Relay Switch 130 (the Coin Relay being energized at this time to close said contacts), thereby energizing the Vend Relay Coil 132 and closing Vend Switch 133 to complete the operating circuit for the Controlled Device 135.

In the last described condition where the coin, whether captive or not, has descended past the blocking prongs 75 so that the supervisory Gate Switch could close, it may be observed that the Switch-Actuating Offset 48A will have moved far enough to permit the coin to drop beyond sufficiently so that if an attempt is made to pull the coin suddenly back up to procure another operation, the Switch-Actuating Lever 48-48A 'will stand in the way and be moved in the wrong (upward) direction by the coin, the clearance in the passage 47 defined by the guard plate with respect to said actuating finger oifset 48A being such that the coin must either pass the switch finger altogether to operate the coin switch, or remain where it will be sensed by one of the pron-gs 75, or be caught between the two, or be seized by the prongs. It

cannot be manipulated to operate the coin switch, and the supervisory Gate Switch must remain open so that no further vending can occur and the machine is hung up until the coin is removed.

FIGURE A depicts both a variant and supplemental control circuit which may be employed in combination with the circuit of FIGURE 10 or with thecireuit of FIGURE 9 as a substitute for the Power Supply 97 therein disclosed, for the purpose of further disabling either of the said circuits in the case where the apparatus is hung-up over long periods due to a coin being jammed in the guard zone and seized by the gate prongs.

In practice the main power supply will usually be the 1l7-volt A.C. service line to which the power plug 139 of FIGURE 10-A will be connected, thus energizing wia conductors 140, 141, and a safety overload resistor 1142, the winding 143 of an AC. power controlling relay, which will close its switch 144 to apply power via conductors 140A and 141A to the primary of'a SO-volt AC.

supply transformer providing the working power for the main coin control circuit means, the output of the secondary 147 of which connects to power supply conductors 120X, 121X and their plug-in terminals 120XT and Z121XT which will correspond to, or can be connected to, the power supply conductors 120, 121 of the circuit of FIGURE 10, or be connected to replace the symbolic battery supply 97 of FIGURE 9.

So long as Service Line Power is connected to the Terminal Plug 139 of FIGURE 10-A, the A.C.line Relay 143 will be energized and its Power Control Switch 144 will remain closed'to energize the Transformer'146 power supply 97 for which the circuit of FIGURE l0-A may be substituted in FIGURE 10.

I claim:

1. In a coin chute apparatus having a coin acceptance zone and exit and a coin-operated switch means adapted to be operated by coins departing from said acceptance exit, improvements comprising: means defining a guard.

passage disposed to receive a coin element from said exit; coin-switch-actuating means extending movably into said guard passage for operation normally .by transient passage therethrough of a coin element from said exit; an

electromagnct'situated near said exit and guard passage and having an armature member spring-urged to a normal first position andattractable by the electromagnet to 1 a second position; and coin-engaging and blocking prong means projecting from said armature member. into parts of both said guard passage and said acceptance zone and exit; together with circuit means for energizing said electromagnet such that when the armature member is in said first position said prong means will be projected as aforesaid into the guard passage and acceptance zone and exit a distance to engage and hold a coin element therein, and block movement of coin elements therepast, such that said prong means in the second position of the armature member will be withdrawn from possible engagement with coin elements as aforesaid.

2.1 Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said coin chute also has a coin rejection exit adjoining and com: municating with said acceptance zone and acceptance exit, and said armature memberhasan extension therefrom in: cluding coin-blocking means projecting into said acceptance zone in a position to deflectany coin element moving toward said acceptance exit into said rejection exit at times when the armature member is in said first position, but not when the armature member is in said second position.

3.. Apparatus according to'claim 1 further including a supervisory switch means and means moved by the armature member of actuating the same in first and second oppositions of the armature member, and said circuit means includes a master control means connected for operation under control of said supervisory switch means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said means moved by the armature for actuating the supervisory switch means further includes a coin-blocking member projected into said coin acceptance zone of the coin chute when the armature member is in said first position in a location to deflect coin elements moving in the chute toward said acceptance exit away from the acceptance exit and into said rejection exit.

5.'In an anti-captive coin device for a coin-accepting and rejecting chute having a coin acceptance, passage traversed by accepted icoin elements, anti-fraud means comprising a .pivoted guard member movable, between from said first and second positions; a coin-operated switch and operating means therefor arranged for operation by a coin element moving relatively to said acceptance passage; a supervisory switch and means for actuating the same moved by said guard member to actuate the supervisory switch in different conditions respectively corresponding to the first and second positions of the guard member; together with circuit means for energizing said electromagnetic means.

6. Coin-controlled apparatus including means defining a coin passage; a coin-switch including an actuating member exposed in said passage for movement of a coin traversing the same; a supervisory switch connected for operation of a desired controlled device; electromagnetic means and an armature moved thereby between first and second positions; coin-engaging and blocking means movable with said armature and projected into said passage in a particular one of said posiitons but not the other; means movable by said armature for actuating said supervisory switch; said last-mentioned switch being connected and operated to actuate the controlled device under the condition in which said coin-engaging and blocking means engages no coin element in said passage in said particular, one of the two positions aforesaid, but prevents operation of the controlled device if a coin element in the passage is engaged by said coin-engaging and blocking means.

7. A coin chute anti-fraud attachment comprising means forming a coin passage traversed by a coin element; a pivoted member having coin-sensing and blocking prongs projecting into said passage in a first position of the pivoted member but withdrawn in a second position thereof; a supervisory switch operated to a first control condition by the pivoted member in said first position of the latter, said supervisory switch being operative and in a second control condition in the second position of the pivoted member; a coin-operated switch and actuating means therefor positioned relative to said coin passage to be moved by a coin element to actuate the coin switch at a point of progress of the coin element in said passage which is beyond said prongs; electromagnetic means operable to move the pivoted member to and from said first and second positions; and circuit means connecting with said supervisory and coin switches and said electromagnetic means for operation to maintain said pivoted member in a stand-by condition in the second position awaiting entry of a coin into said passage, and operation of said coin switch efiecting movement of the pivoted member to the first position thereof whereby the prongs will be moved to enter said passage and actuate said supervisory switch except in the case where a coin element remains in the passage and is engaged by said prongs; and a master vend switch means connected for control by said supervisory switch means.

8. In a coin chute device having a coin acceptance and a coin reject exit, a coin-operated control switch including an actuating member positioned for operation by a coin element departing from said acceptance exit; means defining a guard passage in which a coin element is received from said acceptance exit; said switch actuating member being exposed in said guard passage for operation by a coin traversing the same; electromagnetic means having an armature member movable thereby between first and second positions responsive to energization and deenergization thereof; said armature member having a plurality of teeth projecting therefrom and extending into coin-engaging and blocking positions in said guard passage, at least, when the armature member is in said first position but withdrawn from engagement with any coin element therein in said second position; an electricallycontrolled device, and control circuit means therefor including a supervisory switch actuated in a certain manner by means moved by said armature member in one of said positions thereof, said supervisory switch having connections cooperative with said coin switch and said electrically-controlled device for operation such that said controlled device will not be activated responsive to any operation of the coin switch if a coin element is disposed in said guard passage and engaged by any of said teeth in the first position of the armature member.

9. In coin-controlled apparatus including a coin switch operable by accepted coin elements, departing from a cointesting device having a coin-acceptance exit, together with a master vend switch means operation of which is dependent at least upon operation of said coin switch, fraudpreventive control means comprising, in combination: a coin-guard passage means disposed to be traversed by coin elements received from said acceptance exit; means engaged transiently by a coin traversing said guard passage means for actuating the coin switch; guard means movable into and out of first and second positions; coinengaging and blocking means moved by said guard means into said passage in the first but not the second position of the guard means; means yieldingly urging the guard means toward said first position; electrically-controlled means for moving the guard means from said second position; supervisory switch means actuated responsive to movements of the guard member; cycle-switch operating means including a cycle motor connected for initial starting operation by said coin switch; cycle-hold switch means actuated by said cycle-switch operating means and connected for operation thereby to continue an initiated starting operation of the motor for duration of a predetermined operating cycle; guard-cycle switch means operable by said cycle-switch operating means during each operating cycle thereof aforesaid and connected with said electrically-controlled means for moving the guard member to effect movement of the latter from the first to the second position during a predetermined phase of each operating cycle; and vend-cycle switch means actuated by said cycleswitch operating means during said phase and having connection with said supervisory switch means to complete a vending operation circuit for said master vend switch means under the condition that said guard member has moved fully into said first position during said cycle phase, at east.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,168,179 2/1965 Tiedemann 194-9 3,176,816 4/1965 Heim 19497 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

S. H. TOLLBERG, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A COIN CHUTE APPARATUS HAVING A COIN ACCEPTANCE ZONE AND EXIT AND A COIN-OPERATED SWITCH MEANS ADAPTED TO BE OPERATED BY COINS DEPARTING FROM SAID ACCEPTANCE EXIT, IMPROVEMENTS COMPRISING: MEANS DEFINING A GUARD PASSAGE DISPOSED TO RECEIVE A COIL ELEMENT FROM SAID EXIT; COIN-SWITCH-ACTUATING MEANS EXTENDING MOVABLY INTO SAID GUARD PASSAGE FOR OPERATION NORMALLY BY TRANSIENT PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF A COIL ELEMENT FROM SAID EXIT; AN ELECTROMAGNET SITUATED NEAR SAID EXIT AND GUARD PASSAGE AND HAVING AN ARMATURE MEMBER SPRING-URGED OT A NORMAL FIRST POSITION AND ATTRACTABLE BY THE ELECTROMAGNET TO A SECOND POSITION; AND COIN-ENGAGING AND BLOCKING PRONG MEANS PROJECTING FROM SAID ARMATURE MEMBER INTO PARTS 